


Roll For Initiative

by Thestias



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Autistic Sansa Stark, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, F/M, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Past Joffrey Baratheon/Sansa Stark, Sister-Sister Relationship, The D&D au no one asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-26 01:29:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20035618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thestias/pseuds/Thestias
Summary: Ever since she was a little girl, Sansa has always loved to escape: into novels, songs, games of make-believe, and the high-fantasy world ofDungeons & Dragons.It's a way to leave life's difficulties behind for a little while, pretend to be someone else--someone strong, and free, and normal.For Sandor Clegane, the only real connections he's been able to make have been through games, comic books, and online role-play; he can escape there, live life as the hero he's always wanted to be, instead of the gruff, scarred man that he is. When a group of meddlesome friends brings them together through the game they both love, can two scared, broken people find happiness with each other--both in and out of the game world?





	Roll For Initiative

**Author's Note:**

> Literally no one asked for this au, so naturally I thought, "I have to write it." So, here are two of my obsessions mashed into one: SanSan, and D&D. 
> 
> I've always headcanoned Sansa as autistic, and as such, have decided to write her that way. I base her struggled with ASD heavily on my own experiences as a young woman on the spectrum, and this is in no way meant to be a representation of everyone with autism. As they say, if you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person. Everyone is different and displays the signs differently, though there is a lot of overlap--hence the diagnostic criteria. Any criticisms of Sansa as a result of her autism is also heavily based on my own experiences, and do not necessarily reflect my own views.
> 
> If you have any questions or comments, feel free to message me on my [tumblr.](https://asongforwinterfell.tumblr.com)

Today at 13:57

** _BringThePayne _ ** created the channel **Westeros**

** _BringThePayne _ ** invited ** _TheHound_ **

** _BringThePayne _ ** invited ** _Blackwat3r_ **

> **BringThePayne**: Today at 16:04
> 
> bronn this is sandor, sandor this is bronn
> 
> **Blackwat3r**: Today at 16:04
> 
> what kind of fucking name is sandor?
> 
> **Blackwat3r**: Today at 16:07
> 
> pod can i invite my friend now?
> 
> **Blackwat3r**: Today at 16:07
> 
> she’s been up my ass about playi8ng, the lass is really excited
> 
> _ BringThePayne is typing… _
> 
> **BringThePayne**: Today at 16:10
> 
> yeah you’re both welcome to invite the players yo’re bringing to the campaign. we can talk creation when they get here. **@TheHound **you there man? 

Today at 16:13

** _TheHound _ ** invited ** _queenofthorns_ **

** _Blackwat3r _ ** invited ** _LadyStark_ **

> **TheHound**: Today at 16:16
> 
> Okay Marge, you’re in. You remember Pod?
> 
> **BringThePayne**: Today at 16:16
> 
> oh hey Sansa, glad you made it.heard you were excited to play ;P
> 
> **queenofthorns**: Today at 16:17
> 
> i do remember Pod; nice to see you again. 
> 
> hey Sansa!
> 
> _ LadyStark is typing… _
> 
> **LadyStark**: Today at 16:19
> 
> Hi Margy, hi Pod; Bronn told me we’re all going to play D&D together??
> 
> I _ am _ very excited, but I haven’t been ‘up your ass about it,’ **@Blackwat3r** :P Rude of you to say
> 
> **BringThePayne**: Today at 16:20
> 
> i’m hopping in the voice chat, join me there San
> 
> **LadyStark**: Today at 16:21
> 
> Okay
> 
> **TheHound**: Today at 16:21
> 
> ok

Today at 16:23

** _BringThePayne _ **joined the voice channel

** _LadyStark _ **joined the voice channel

** _TheHound _ **joined the voice channel

** _Blackwat3r _ **joined the voice channel

Grabbing her headset Sansa turned down her music as she slipped it over her ears, clicking the ‘join’ button on the voice channel, smiling as she was immediately greeted by Podrick’s voice. “Hello, Pod,” she greeted in return, glancing at the screen as two more pings informed her that Bronn and Pod’s friend had joined the voice channel. “Hey Bronn, hi…Sandor?” She glanced back at the chat, scrolling up to check and make sure she’d gotten his name right. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too,” a gruff voice rumbled through her headset just as Bronn practically shouted her name, causing Sansa to wince and an angry swear to come from the man. “Would you fuck off with the yelling? Gonna bust someone’s fucking eardrums with that shit.”

“Aye, sorry about that. Just got excited having my girl here, you know?” Rolling her eyes as she heard him snickering Sansa ignored him in favour of sipping her lemonade, twirling the cord of her headset around her finger as she shifted in her chair, pulling her right leg up beneath her. “Anyway, what’s going on with the other one, is she joining? San, you getting Cella in here?”

Sansa nodded automatically in reply, before realising he couldn’t see the gesture. “Yeah, she’s—hold on.” Reaching for her cell phone Sansa unlocked it and scrolled through her texts, opening the last one she’d received from Myrcella. “She’s making an account, she doesn’t really game that much so she’s never used this before. But she’ll be in soon.”

“Right, right. And what about your friend, Hound? Marge?”

“Gettin’ to it.” 

Just as he finished the short sentence, another ping in the server alerted Sansa to _queenofthorns_ joining the voice channel; for a moment all they could hear was shuffling in the background before a slightly breathless, airy voice greeted them all. “Hello, sorry, my headset wasn’t charged so I had to get my brother’s,” Margaery said with a huff; Sansa smiled as she turned her focus back to the book settled in her lap, flicking idly through pages until she settled on the one she wanted, tuning the chat out as Pod and Bronn began to talk with each other. Idly she tapped her thumb against the tip of her index finger, reading through the details of the class she was considering, various build options dancing in her mind.

Today at 16:36

** _LadyStark_ ** invited ** _L1onHeart_ **

** _L1onHeart _ **joined the voice channel

"H-Hello?" Myrcella's soft voice drew Sansa's attention away from the book in her lap and she smiled, looking up at the screen.

"Cella, hi! Everyone's here, we were just waiting on you. I think the only one you don't know here is Pod's friend, Sandor." She listened as the two greeted each other, names being passed around, the faint shuffling of papers coming from one of them in the background. Sansa's pen tapped against her bare knee, a fidget her mother would surely scold her for were she in the room; regardless she stopped, choosing instead to occupy nervous fingers with the end of her long braid.

"Does everyone know what they're playing?" Pod's voice cut through the silence of the channel and suddenly four people were trying to speak at once. "Oi, one at a time, please! I can't hear anything with all of you going on like that; Bronn, you start, what are you playing?"

Sansa could almost _ hear _his shrug. "Rogue of some kind, probably; dunno anything else yet."

"I'm playing a rogue, as well," Margaery chimed in, "an arcane trickster. If that's alright with our dear dungeon master?"

"Two rogues--okay," he muttered, the sound of a pencil scratching paper faint in the background. "What about you, San, any ideas?"

"I--"

"No--"

They both stopped, and a giggle slipped from Sansa's lips before she could contain it at the confused-sounding sigh from the man. "You first, please, Sandor," she insisted after a moment, biting her lip as her eyes once again scanned the pages of her Player's Handbook. "I haven't entirely decided yet, anyway."

"Uh...thanks." She heard shifting from his end, and a muffled cough before he spoke again. "Got a paladin in mind, oath of vengeance--a soldier, human, uses a big-ass sword. Story's mostly written up for him, too, just need to fix some shit up and send it to you when it's done."

"Perfect; I'll give you a minute, Sansa, if you still need it. Take your time. And..." he paused for a moment, "Myrcella, how about you? Do you know what you'd like to play yet?"

There was a long silence before a new message popped up in the general channel, drawing Sansa's attention from her book.

> **L1onHeart:** Today at 16:59
> 
> I'm not quite sure; Sansa told me there was an angel race? But I don't know what book to find that in
> 
> Sorry, I'm new at this >.<

Pod's soft chuckle was clear over her headset. "That's no problem at all; it's in the Volo's Guide book, I can send you a PDF copy if you need it, but I think that would be a good fit for you. The race is called 'aasimar.' Any ideas on class?"

> _ L1onHeart _ is typing....
> 
> **L1onHeart:** Today at 17:05
> 
> The one that does music and things
> 
> A bard

"Bard, okay! I love bards; why don't you take a look at all the different schools in the bard class, and once you decide on one, let me know. Sansa, are you ready?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you. I've settled on a wood elf druid, circle of the shepherd; I wanted to ask if I could do a sort of custom background? It's sort of a mash-up of the noble-slash-courtier one, with a bit of outlander sprinkled in? It makes sense with her backstory, I promise."

"Druid, huh?" Sandor's gruff voice sounded before Podrick could respond, "that'll be an interesting one. Never seen one of those played well; don't know much about the shepherd circle, but thank fucking Christ you didn't go moon."

Leaning forward in her seat as though to hear him better Sansa raised a brow, interest piqued. "Oh? Why's that?"

"It's a cop-out; the cheapest, most fucking boring way to play that class, so of course that's what everyone does. There's more to being a druid than just fucking wild-shaping all the damn time." His sigh was audible, and Sansa wondered what she could do to get more mini-rants like that from him. "Sorry; I get a bit fired up sometimes."

Bronn snorted, interrupting them. "You have no fucking idea what 'fired up' is until you hear San start ranting and raving about something--get her started on Tony Stark sometime, you'll see."

Sansa's flush heated her cheeks and she was glad that no one was around to witness her embarrassment. "Bronn, hush, I do _ not _'rant and rave,' I just....have some opinions, there's nothing wrong with that! Margy, don't let him bully me," she faux-pleaded to her friend, smiling as her tell-tale husky laugh answered. 

"I can't when he's right, Sansa."

"And here I thought we were friends." Sniffing dramatically Sansa laughed and cleared her throat, turning back to her laptop and navigating to the character sheet she'd started. "Anyway, sorry Pod; is that okay?"

"Sure, just message me about the background and we can work on it, no problem. And remember, we're starting at level five, so if you have any questions or need any help with your character, shoot me a message here on through text. Oh, hold on--" Pod muted his microphone and Sansa took the opportunity to open their message thread, typing out her thoughts as she waited to him to return, which he did a minute later. "Sorry guys, I've gotta go, Gendry's dragging me out to a show or something; meet up later this week and we can do a session zero, get everything finalised and shit, okay?" A chorus of 'yes' and 'goodbye' sounded as he left the channel, going offline a moment after he'd left.

"I should get going, too," Bronn said, Margaery voicing her agreement. "Are you still coming tonight, San?" Looking at the time Sansa swore softly under her breath and quickly saved her documents, closing out of the program. 

"Yeah, sorry, I totally forgot; I'll be ready in a few and then you can come pick me up." With cheerful good-byes the two of them left the channel, Myrcella following seconds later, leaving only Sandor there with her. Clearing her throat somewhat awkwardly Sansa stood, closing her laptop and taking her phone with her as she stretched her legs. "It was nice meeting you, Sandor," she ventured, moving to her closet and studying her reflection in the mirror on the door. 

He made a startled sound, surprised that someone was still with him. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" he groused.

"O-oh, yeah, I...sorry. I just wanted to say good-bye. So...bye." Before he could grumble at her anymore she signed off, tossing her phone aside with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. Some people. She'd never understood why some people had to be so rude, especially when she was trying to be kind. Shaking the thoughts away she pulled open her closet door and began looking through her clothes, unsure of what she wanted to wear--_ something that will get Arya's approval rather than her scorn, for once, _ she thought with a soft laugh.

A chime from her phone distracted Sansa from her search and she grabbed it from the bed, nose scrunching in confusion at the 'new private message' notification on the screen. 

> **TheHound:** Today at 17:37
> 
> sorry for being an asshole; it was nice meeting you, too
> 
> **LadyStark:** Today at 17:38
> 
> It's okay! Thank you for apologising, though. I appreciate it :)
> 
> **TheHound:** Today at 17:41 
> 
> yeah...have fun tonight. look forward to seeing your character
> 
> a not-shit druid
> 
> **LadyStark:** Today at 17:43
> 
> XD later!

  



End file.
